“During the 12-month 2008–2009 academic year, 88% of two-year and four-year Title IV degree-granting postsecondary institutions reported enrolling students with disabilities. Almost all public two-year and four-year institutions (99%) and medium and large institutions (100%) reported enrolling students with disabilities.

Institutions reported enrolling approximately 707,000 students with disabilities in the 12-month 2008–2009 academic year, with about half of these students reported enrolled in public two-year institutions.”

These figures underscore a patent truth: People with disabilities are not some rare, hyper-visible “Other.” They are all around us. They are us.

And #StopAbleismBecause is giving them a voice — a campaign started to raise awareness for ableism.

As contributions to the hashtag demonstrate, disabilities are still stigmatized on many college campuses.

#StopAbleismBecause a professor made a classmate of mine "prove" her mental illness by bringing in her meds, so i stayed quiet.

While universities may tout the inclusion of accessibility features and academic provisions on surveys, the reality is that accommodation does not stop at physical infrastructure. True university integration demands a culture of solidarity — one that legitimates the hardships of students with disabilities as opposed to downplaying them.

Jaleesa Jones is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Your typical underachiever, Jaleesa is working towards a degree in communication studies with a concentration in media studies and production as well as minors in journalism and screenwriting. She is the current President and Campus Correspondent for Her Campus UNC, a branch of HerCampus.com, the number one online community for college women. She is also an arts reporter for the Daily Tar Heel and a member of the Carolina Association of Future Magazine Editors. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to spoken word poetry, binge-watching Law & Order: SVU and debating everything from respectability politics to celebrity news. You can follow her random outbursts on Twitter @newLEESonlife.

This article comes from The USA TODAY College Contributor network. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of USA TODAY. You understand that we have no obligation to monitor any discussion forums, blogs, photo- or video-sharing pages, or other areas of the Site through which users can supply information or material. However, we reserve the right at all times, in our sole discretion, to screen content submitted by users and to edit, move, delete, and/or refuse to accept any content that in our judgment violates these Terms of Service or is otherwise unacceptable or inappropriate, whether for legal or other reasons.